April Fools' Day Gone Wrong
by DariaLovesRizzles
Summary: Jane is supposed to help Maura pull her very first prank, but it all goes to hell when Maura doesn't show up for work. One shot.


Author's Note: Prompt from tumblr. I hope it doesn't dissapoint :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jane and Maura, but Lord help me if they were mine.**

* * *

Jane woke up to an excitement never experienced before.

_Finally._ Today was April Fools', a day she had expected since, she felt, forever. Except unlike other years, when she would pull a prank on almost everyone she knew, this year she promised to herself she would make Maura pull her first prank ever on someone. With the blonde inability to lie they would have to be careful, but trying couldn't hurt. Right?

Maybe the others found it childish, but sometime during their 5 years of friendship, they made a list of things they hadn't yet gotten the chance to do. It started as a joke, but only when the list was done had Jane been able to fully understand just how much Maura had missed. At first she was stunned, but only after seeing a rueful smile gracing Maura's lips did she promise to herself she would get Maura to complete as many of the challenges as possible. If she were lucky, maybe they would complete them together.

So now Jane confidently strutted into the bullpen, Frost and Korsak eyeing her warily, not knowing what to expect from her on this very special day. After all, she had a reputation to keep.

"Oh, stop lookin' at me like that! It's not like I'm going to kill either of you!"

"Yeah, well, considering how efficient your pranks are…" Korsak shrugged, remembering the heart attack he almost had a few years ago when he went home and all his animals were gone.

"Then consider yourselves lucky, I won't pull jokes on you this year."

They looked at her incredulously, even though deep inside relief washed over them.

Jane raised her hands in front her body, as if trying to defend herself from their mock-accusations.

"What? I have special plans today."

They didn't ask what her plans were, though from the giddy look on her face they took a safe bet and assumed the plans involved the Medical Examiner. Only around the blonde doctor would Jane have this expression on her face like a 5 year old that just woke up on Christmas morning.

However, April 1st had always been a busy day, all the sociopaths coming out of their holes and pulling _very _bad jokes on strangers. It was only the beginning on the day and right then it was quiet, but they didn't relax, knowing ahead of them were some very very tiring 24 hours.

"Hey, Frost, do you know if Maura has arrived yet?"

"Uhh, no, I don't think so. I haven't seen her car in the parking lot."

"Huh, okay, thanks." Jane sighed, it was like the doctor to be late to work.

_I hope she's not backing out._ Maura knew Jane would make her pull a prank on someone at work, but she didn't know _what _king of joke the detective would make her do.

…

…

…

Two hours and 35 unanswered phone calls later, Jane was seriously considering putting up a missing person file on her best friend.

"Jane, calm down, I'm sure she's fine." Frost had tried to calm his partner, but even he knew after Maura's past experiences with sociopaths, Jane would relax only when she will know for sure her friend is okay. Hugging her tight and giving her a pep talk afterwards, that is.

"Calm down!? CALM DOWN? For heaven's sake Frost you're seriously telling me to calm down after Dennis and that other what's his name that got Maura into jail? I can't calm down!" _I don't do "calm" when I don't know if she's okay._

Her phone ringed, and Jane had to restrain herself from shouting at whoever was on the other end of the line.

"Rizzoli,"

"Jane, it's me, Frankie."

Jane went to Cavanaugh one hour ago, asking him if she can leave work to go look after the doctor, but he said she has more important work to do and that he would put some patrol officers to look after the ME.

She knew from Frankie's voice something was wrong.

She knew from her gut that it had to do with Maura.

"Frankie, tell me what is it?"

"Jane, it's her car. It's left abandoned on the side of the road."

Jane didn't know what was worse, the tremble from Frankie's voice, or the theories she formed in her head against her will.

"Give me the address, I'll be there in five."

…

Never in her life had Jane driven so fast, only luck saving her from causing a couple of accidents.

After what had felt like a century but it fact were only 8 minutes, Jane finally arrived at the scene. She never would have imagined Maura would drive in this part of Boston. The car was in the middle of an abandoned crossroad, in a neighborhood not even Jane had visited before to solve crimes.

Jane shook her head and saved the thought for later, focusing on the matter at hand – finding what happened to her best friend.

As soon as she got out of the car, she started running towards Frankie, shouting at the same time.

"What happened? Where's Maura?"

"We don't know, Jane, we-"

Frankie didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, unconsciously freeing the beast living inside his sister.

"What?! What do you mean you don't know? What do you know?" Her voice cut through the air sharper than a knife.

"Oh for God's sake, Janie, stop shouting and listen to me for a minute, ok? We're all on the same side here, remember?"

When the brunette finally calmed down, Frankie took a deep, steadying breath before going on.

"Another officer patrolling found the car and recognized the plate. He announced it and then we came here. He said Maura wasn't in the vicinity of the car."

Jane rubbed her temples, trying to think.

"Okay, good. Uhh…do we have any witnesses?"

"No, I don't think so."

As Jane saw her world crumble to pieces before her eyes, she felt a small tug at her hand. There was a little girl, no older than 10 years old, with watery eyes looking up at her. Jane crouched down in front of her and took her hands between both of hers.

"Hey, honey, what's your name?"

"I-…I'm K-K-Kate…"

Jane squeezed her hands and smiled reassuringly.

"Hi, Kate, I'm Jane. Have you seen when this blue car stopped here?"

The little girl managed a nod, and Jane saw a faded light at the end of the tunnel.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Another nod.

"Can you tell me?"

"T-T-There was a big man…a-and h-he was just standing there," Kate pointed in front of the car, "and the blue car stopped. The man opened the car door and took the lady out and…" a hiccup, "he grabbed her and they left together but the lady was screaming a-and…" another burst of tears "I just want my mommy!"

Jane nodded fervently before hugging Kate close to her chest.

"Okay, we will find your mommy, it's okay, shhhh, it's okay…"

After a few minutes the girl stopped crying, and Jane managed to tell Frankie to take the car back to the precinct and look after fingerprints.

Just as Jane started to wonder how to find Kate's mother, she heard the sound of heels running on pavement and turned around to the sight of a middle aged woman hurrying towards them, and judging by the desperation etched across her face she could only be Kate's mother.

After she made sure everything will be fine with the little girl, Jane got in her car and started back to the precinct. Her phone ringed again just as she was putting the key in the ignition.

"Rizzoli."

"Jane, it's Frost. We found fingerprints on the car and we got a match. Name's Jackson Gold, and I'll text you the address right away."

"Okay, thanks buddy,"

"Jane,"

"Yeah?"

"Hurry up."

She didn't need to be told twice.

…

The attacker lived in what can safely be called a warehouse. She received a text from Frost with the address and another few details about their guy – mid thirties, some kind of psycho that every year on April Fools' Day attacks someone and tortures them in some kind of way. Never kills them, and somehow, never got caught.

_Until now._

It didn't take Jane long to find the perp – he wasn't doing such a good job with keeping his victims quiet. She went inside quietly, getting closer and closer to the screams.

There he was. After rounding one corner, Jane found a very intoxicated Jackson Gold, trying to…

_What the hell?_

He was failing at getting a young woman to lie down in a coffin, supposedly to bury her alive. She was doing a good job at keeping him at bay, but he had the physical advantage.

"Hey! Why don'tcha take someone your own measure?"

He turned around and stumbled towards Jane.

_Oh, I'm so gonna make you pay._

But she didn't have time to waste, so she simply shot him in the leg and left him wailing on the floor. After making sure the woman was no longer in danger, she started looking after Maura.

Jane hurried outside in the back yard, and all her blood ran cold at the sight in front of her.

The whole damn yard was full with holes for coffins. She could say from the look of the ground than someone dug the holes within the last 24 hours. Fortunately, only one hole was covered, right at the near end of the field, where she assumed Maura was lying, hopefully, still with enough oxygen.

Jane looked around after a shovel and without much fuss began digging after the coffin. In less than 5 minutes cherry wood started showing, and the detective crouched down next to the hole leaning in, and opened the top.

There she was, with her eyes closed and deep, even breaths, trying to conserve her energy. Only after Jane got her out of there and kept her in her arms for several minutes did she asses her full situation. There was a deep cut above her right eyebrow, and a few bruises up her arms but all in all she seemed okay.

Well, as okay as someone buried alive could be.

Jane guided her on to a bench near the warehouse and crouched down in front of her, holding her hands between her own.

"Oh God Maura, what happened?"

The blonde's eyes were still unfocused, and she looked so small just sitting there still shivering from the shock. Jane just wanted to hold her and caress her hair and make sure she is safe for the rest of her life and a-and ki-

_No. She's your best friend God dammit!_

So Jane had to be satisfied with just drawing soothing patterns with her thumbs on the back of her hands and maybe, _maybe_ a kiss on her forehead, or cheek.

Nothing more.

After Frost and Korsak arrived and personally took care of the perp, Jane convinced Maura to go to the hospital in order to check out her cut, without much work, which was really odd considering the doctor was just as stubborn as Jane was.

But they go to the hospital. And Mara obliges to everything with a straight, emotionless face. She says "please" and "thank you" but Jane can see these are just mindless words, Maura not really _being_ there. And that indifference started to worry Jane. The usual concerned, always excellence-demanding doctor simply stopped caring what happened to her or around her. Like her soul had been left in that coffin, and know she was just a zombie doing things simply because they needed to be done, but not really caring about the outcome.

Jane didn't say anything though, waiting until they arrived home to address this issue.

…

They were half lying on the couch, each woman resting against an armrest, with a blanket draped over their bodies. They had gotten home and Jane made Maura eat something, though she doubted the doctor even felt the taste of the food. And now she was watching over the blonde, still pale and looking into oblivion, trying to make her open up. Burst. Just _do something_. Staying completely still without talking after being buried alive was not the reaction Jane had expected.

The detective took a deep breath and leaned over, pulling Maura's arm into her lap and intertwining their fingers under the blanket. She was now sitting cross-legged in the middle of the couch, and if she stretched out her hand she could cup the doctor's cheek.

She could even-

_NO!_

She couldn't. The doctor wasn't hers to kiss and cuddle.

Jane didn't have time to dwell on the thought, because as soon as she started rubbing soothing circles with her thumb on the back of Maura's hand, the blonde started crying, silent tears coursing down her cheeks. Every once in a while a quick sob, like a hiccup, escaped Maura's soft lips, and every single time Jane's heart broke.

But she didn't say anything, because she knew what Maura needed right now was her presence, her comfort, not her words. She had never been good with words, so she compensated with other things. The detective finally leaned over and cupped Maura's cheek with her free hand, waving away the tears with the pad of the thumb. She felt warm all over and chastised herself internally for it when Maura leaned into her touch.

After a while the blonde spoke, her voice raspier than usual from lack of use and an ocean of spilled tears.

"What did I do wrong?"

And it was how small and vulnerable she seemed, sitting on the couch, with a hopeless expression that made up Jane's mind.

_Oh, fuck it._

She moved over, and gently tugged at Maura's waist until the blonde was pressed into her front. She laid their bodies down length-wise on the couch, spooning Maura from behind, keeping her close. She shivered when Maura tried to get impossibly closer to her. They had never sat like this before. Never this close, with such a level of intimacy.

It soon became Jane's favorite position.

Maybe it was because of Maura's scent wrapping around her, or the warmth radiating from the smaller woman's body, but suddenly, Jane felt like nothing could stop her. Not as long as Maura stayed in that exact same position.

She used her new amount of courage to bent over and kissed Maura on her neck, below her ear before whispering:

"You didn't do anything wrong, Maur…sometimes things like this…they just happen, and we can't do much to stop them. I'm so sorry…"

And she was. On some level, Jane knew it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't have predicted this, but still, she blamed herself. She blamed herself because Maura was the most amazing wonderful generous intelligent goofy and lovely woman to ever exist and nothing bad should happen to her. Ever.

"But why is it always me?...I-I don't understand. First Ian, then Dennis tried to kill me, then I've been drugged and sent to jail and now this? Buried alive? I don't understand why does it always happen to be me…"

Another powerful sob. A squeeze from Jane's arms wrapped around her. More tears. A kiss on her neck. A shiver, but not because of the cold.

"Maur, look at me."

The blonde turned and now their faces were mere inches apart. Jane had to physically restrain herself from leaning in and closing the distance between their lips.

"As long as you're with me, I will never let anything bad happen to you. Ever. I promise."

And Maura smiled for the first time that day, because she knew from the fire in her eyes that Jane spoke the truth. She decided to change the subject, content with just staying in Jane's safe and gentle arms for the time being.

"We never got to do my first prank."

"Yeah, well, now I'm kinda glad we didn't, I need time to think of a better idea."

"Oh Jane, I'm sure whatever you had in mind would have been wonderful."

_Yeah…yeah, it would've._

"What was it, anyway?

Jane blushed sheepishly, and avoided Maura's gaze.

"Come on, Jane, you know you can tell me."

"No, really, it was really stupid, just…nevermind."

"Please?"

And how could Jane refuse big hazel eyes that looked so hopefully and innocently at her?

She caved. Before talking again, Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bracing herself for the laughter she was sure to come.

"Well, do you remember how we did the whole LLBFF thing when Giovanni was around? Well, I was thought it would've been funny to act like that the whole day at the precinct, like y'know…" _Like we really were together so maybe I could've kissed you and I would've hold your hand and kept you in my arms and fought with any stupid guy who tried to get in your pants. So yeah it was really stupid cause friends don't think of things like that to do on April Fools', but fuck it cause I'm in love with you, Maura Isles. I. am. in. love. with you._

And Maura melted. She melted and she felt the usual butterflies resume their place in her stomach only at the thought of having Jane that close for an entire day. And not just anywhere, but in public too.

Jane's breath hitched when she realized Maura wasn't going to laugh at her, on the contrary, she had never seen the doctor look so flustered like she did right then.

"I guess I was right…you really did have a wonderful idea…" Maura's voice was small, just a whisper, because anything too loud would have broken the spell they were under.

"You think so?..."

But Maura just nodded, and unconsciously, both women leaned in, slowly. They looked into each other's eyes right until their mouths were millimeters away, when both of their eyes closed to savor the moment.

The kiss was chaste. It was sweet, and lazy, and lingering, giving them time to get used to this new kind of physical affection. Time to get used to each other like this. They broke away to breathe, but after only a few seconds Jane leaned in again, for another kiss, just as tender as the first one.

When they broke apart the second time, Maura snuggled closer to the detective, her head nuzzling into Jane's neck, planting small kisses there.

And she realized, Jane was right. As long as they were together, nothing bad could happen to Maura.

As long as they were together, nothing bad could happen to either of them.


End file.
